The European Council and defence: the state of our ambition
Does Europe still have an ambition in defence beyond that of its academics, i.e. to write papers about it? When the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, put […]
Europe in the World
In a world that is largely driven by competition and rivalry (and partnership, yet) between great powers, understanding the Grand Strategy of each of these powers is crucial. So is developing a Grand Strategy for the EU itself. An EU that acts as one, as one pole of the multipolar world on a par with the other powers, is the only way to safeguard the way of life that the Member States of the EU have chosen, based on democracy, the free market, and equality.
Power cannot be divided: a global player must have political, economic, as well as military power. To that end, the Europe in the World Programme analyses the diplomacy and defence of the US, China, and Russia, and of the EU, NATO, and their members. We also focus on geoeconomics, researching Open Strategic Autonomy and the Global Gateway as key EU instruments, as well as the geoeconomic approaches of the other powers.
Defence policy is our third main axis of research, with a particular focus on European defence and its interaction with NATO, but also on nuclear deterrence and the deterrence of hybrid threats. Throughout all three research axis, we devote special attention to the role of Belgium, including notably the development of its own National Security Strategy and diplomatic and military capabilities.
Publications
Commentaries
Coelmont: A memorandum for the European Council on Security and Defence
The upcoming European Council on Security and Defence in December 2013 will be crucial to the future of European strategic policy. Here are seven points of action that the Heads […]
External publications
A bipolar alliance for a multipolar world
This volume brings together leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic to examine the significance of 9/11 for the transformation of the Atlantic Alliance over the last decade. Blending […]
State of defence in Europe: state of emergency?
When a doctor calls for a thorough examination of the state of a patient’s health, he hopes that everything will turn out to be alright, but it really means that […]
Europe and the world or snow white and the seven fallacies
European foreign policy: the words do not conjure up any grand images. In the absence of any real ambition, there are neither triumphs to celebrate nor disasters to mourn. There […]
Partnering for a nuclear-safe world: the EU, its strategic partners and nuclear non-proliferation
The European Union has identified the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as one of the greatest threats to its security. This paper aims at assessing the EU’s approach to […]